Website Testing: Ideas Worth Trying

Updated November 11, 2022

Little Tweaks Can Mean Big Results

Website testing doesn’t have to be complicated. Google Experiments (also known as digital analytics experiments) provides an easy framework to test various website elements in the quest of improving performance and increasing online conversions.  Here are 5 website testing ideas:

Click for a free 30-minute consultation »

5 Website Testing Ideas

1. Contact Form

There are so many ways to display a contact form. Headings, layout, hints all contribute to whether a form is filled out or abandoned. Getting a qualified prospects to complete a contact form is one way to measure of a website ROI. There are best practices when designing and implementing a contact form, like:

• Keep it simple
• Don’t use captcha
• No pop-up windows
• Don’t make every field required
• Include one open-ended question

If your site has a low percentage of form completion, then website testing in this area is a must.

2. Trust Icons

Sites that have trust icons — badges or logos from associations — are perceived as more credible. We recommend adding these types of icons in a way that doesn’t detract from the site’s overall design. Due to banner blindness or browser rendering variations, we suggest website testing for optimal placement.  Check Google Analytics for your bounce rate statistics. Establishing credibility is the first step in having visitors hang around.

3. Landing Pages

A landing page is a fancy name for any page that a visitor lands on; they can arrive to it via a search query, an ad, or a link from another site. It’s a page that displays important information; it has one specific action you want the visitor to take. Download a white paper. Register for a webinar. Click for a 30-minute consultation.  You get the idea. We’ve found that landing pages tend to be overly complicated. We suggest testing various landing page elements like removing, adding or changing:

• Headlines or sub-heads
• Copy text
• Remove clutter like a sidebar
• Colors or Fonts on the Call to Action buttons
• Images or design features

4. Messaging

If your visitor can’t figure out what you offer quickly, you’ve lost them.  Last week we provided tips on first impressions as it relates to content marketing and blogging. This post provides a solid foundation on how to create a webpage or blog posts that gets attention and retains eyeballs. Testing your message can mean a new offer, brand voice (words you use to convey your message), or the use of testimonials to support your claims. When testing your copy, success can look like:

• Visitors stay longer on the page
• Visitors stay longer on your site and view more pages
• More comments on blog posts
• Reduced bounce rate
• More contact forms completed or phone calls received

5. Images

We’re drawn to images first, copy second. Pictures can be great motivators, especially if you have a stellar infographic. Images can immediately set the tone of a web page. So your website testing should include experiments with different types of images — graphics, photos, backgrounds. Sometimes subtle image changes can make an offer or text jump out, driving more clicks.

One More Thing…

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention one major rule about website testing: test one thing at a time. The purpose of an experiment is to figure out which change performs better. Website testing gets muddled if you try to test multiple elements at once.  However, you can run several variations at the same time… just test one element at a time. For example, you might include the same offer (e.g., download a free whitepaper) but test the Call To Action button in three different colors. In this case, you’ll have three variations in one experiment.

Any other element you’d add to our website testing list?